April 2014

Fleet Owner's April 2014 issue takes a look at all the possibilities when it comes to powering your fleet with alternative fuel. Plus, carriers are finding online tools can help with the driver recuitment process and what you need to know before talking with a dealer. Also, Fleet Owner announces its Green Fleet of the Year Award, co-sponsored by WIX Filters.

Editor's Page

It’s common at industry gatherings to hear people talk about the flood of recent regulation facing trucking operations, but when you step back and take a look at all the new rules on the books, it can still be something of a shock. And based on last month’s activity in Washington, the pace is not letting up....More

Commentary

In recent months, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has absorbed some serious blows over its Compliance, Safety, Accountability program and related activities, but the agency might have stumbled onto a winning—or at least delaying—strategy by redirecting everyone’s attention elsewhere....More

Nearly every day, a story is published touting the savings fleet operators can realize by implementing technologies that reduce diesel consumption. Although there are many choices, by far the most attractive is conversion to non-petroleum fuels, so-called “alternative fuels.” Beyond fuel cost savings, fleets can reduce exposure to toxic air contaminants, lower their contribution to their community’s smog problem, decrease maintenance costs, and limit exposure to volatile fuel prices that result from foreign political crises....More

That trucking is greening ever faster was exceedingly evident to me while in Indy attending numerous news conferences and taking in a dizzying array of booth displays promoting the environmental bona fides of all sorts of truck equipment at the annual NTEA Work Truck and its accompanying Green Truck Summit....More

Alliance Imaging, a division of Alliance HealthCare Services, is the largest premier provider of advanced diagnostic imaging services in the United States, with more than 1,000 hospital partners and other health care clients located in 46 states. In addition to imaging services focused on MRI, PET/CT, and CT technologies, the company also offers a broad range of related planning and management services backed by more than 30 years of experience in the field. ...More

Drumroll, please. It’s finally here, a regulation that we have been waiting for—and waiting for what feels like an eternity. Is the logjam lifting? Are regulations that we as an industry and MAP-21, as a Surface Transportation Bill, have insisted on being developed ultimately moving? It finally appears so, since the drug and alcohol clearinghouse appeared in the Federal Register as a proposed rulemaking seeking comments from the trucking industry on how to proceed forward with what could inevitably make our roads safer....More

If you’re in the transportation business, you’re also in the acronym business. It’s amazing how many of them are part of our industry lingo. In fact, there are so many that Gene Orlick, a trucking pal from Canada, produces an annual list. The 2014 version of Gene’s List contains 138 legit entries, plus a dozen zingers that only his closest buddies will get....More

Management

What’s happening at dealers and with the OEMs they represent should benefit fleet owners open to tapping into changes being made to better serve a marketplace in flux. Trucking is evolving away from the days when fleets were largely islands unto themselves. To get the most out of their business relationships with dealers, fleets are wise to grasp how these providers of everything from new trucks to vehicle parts and service are adapting to attract more business....More

President Obama today directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to come up with new “next stage” fuel efficiency for heavy- and medium-duty trucks by March 2105, calling such standards the key to “saving thousands of dollars every year” in reduced fuel costs for trucking companies larger and small....More

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on March 13 a new proposal on electronic logging devices that would mandate ELDs for drivers currently required to prepare hours-of-service records of duty status and establish the minimum performance and design standards....More

Increasing the national standard for twin trailers to 33 ft. from the existing 28 ft. would allow carriers to absorb up to 18% of future freight growth without any change in gross vehicle weight or additional miles traveled on roadways, the chief executive officer of FedEx Ground told a Congressional subcommittee Feb. 27....More

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the global transportation and logistics industry ended 2013 on a strong note with a 57% increase in deal volume and more than a 100% increase in deal value in the fourth quarter, according to analysis conducted by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), with the company’s research indicating more such deals should be conducted this year – especially within the U.S. trucking industry....More

Growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and stronger freight pricing should combine to make 2014 a good year for trucking, forecasting firm FTR said in its periodic State of Freight webinar on Feb. 13. But the growth in freight volume is not likely to match what the industry saw in 2013, it says. On the other hand, FTR believes a better-than-forecast economy could strain the trucking industry’s capacity to handle freight demand....More

Running Green

For many fleets, the possibility of switching from diesel to natural gas is intriguing, and in some specialized applications like refuse collection, natural gas-powered trucks are already common. For most trucking operations though, especially ones involving Class 8 payloads and long distances, natural gas is still a question mark. It is an alternative fuel that seems to have great potential for improving both operating costs and environmental sustainability, but one that has yet to prove its viability as an everyday fuel for a working fleet. The response has been a large...More

For many fleets, the possibility of switching from diesel to natural gas is intriguing, and in some specialized applications like refuse collection, natural gas-powered trucks are already common. For most trucking operations though, especially ones involving Class 8 payloads and long distances, natural gas is still a question mark. To Saddle Creek Transportation, though, natural gas is more than an experiment, and for that, the trucking arm of Saddle Creek Logistics has been named the 2014 Fleet Owner Green Fleet of the Year.

INDIANAPOLIS. Speakers here on a kickoff panel of the annual Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with this week’s NTEA Work Truck Show, made one thing voice clear—alternative fuels for trucking will remain a matter of considerable choice, and for years to come....More

Freightliner Trucks Team Run Smart Pro Jimmy Nevarez will travel throughout southern California in a Cascadia 113 compressed natural gas (CNG) tractor. As part of his experience, Nevarez will blog about his experiences with the vehicle at www.TeamRunSmart.com....More

Perrin Manufacturing has released the PowerCube Slim, a more compact version of its popular PowerCube APU. The company said the PowerCube Slim packs the same HVAC power of its predecessor into a thinner profile that fits the mounting space requirements of the majority of North American sleeper cabs....More

A network of 11 public propane refueling stations is set to open across the state of Washington. The stations, situated in 10 cities in the Puget Sound region and owned by Blue Star Gas, will be open 24 hours.
Blue Star is a member of the Alliance AutoGas clean vehicle conversion and refueling network....More

ACT Research has launched online fuel payback calculators to allow fleets to determine the diesel gallon equivalent of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the pump as the commodity cost of natural gas changes.
The calculators are available at www.actresearch.net....More

Two senators have introduced a bill that would reinstate a biodiesel tax incentive that expired on Dec. 31, 2013. The bill, introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would offer the incentive for three years....More

Equipment

Since the dawn of time, it seems, diesel fuel has ruled the landscape for powering commercial vehicles. Sure, every few years a new “fuel of the future” pops up and becomes the darling of the alternative fuel world. Right now, that fuel is natural gas, either in compressed or liquefied form. The benefits of natural gas are many: abundant supply, a domestic fuel, low emissions, almost equivalent power and torque to diesel engines, and low price compared to diesel. Because of this, almost no one believes natural gas will disappear as a fuel; rather, the exp...More

To suggest that natural gas is now the only choice for fleets looking to get into the alternative fuel arena is to shortchange the other options. There are many, from long-standing choices like propane autogas and biodiesel to the soon-to-be available dimethyl ether (DME) and maybe even hydrogen. And fleets are certainly interested. To read more about the options available today, click here.

INDIANAPOLIS. Ford Motor Co. took the wraps off its redesigned F-650 and F-750 medium-duty lineup— including a dedicated tractor model aimed at heavy-towing applications— here on the eve of the NTEA Work Truck Show....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Continental Tire the Americas is showing a new off-road tire for work trucks this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show. The Conti TerraPlus HD3 drive tire, available in a 19.5 in. size, features a new, aggressive tread pattern designed for Class 4 and 5 working trucks....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Isuzu Commercial Truck of America unveiled its 2014-15 model-year N-Series diesel truck models this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show. The company also announced that it would extend its 24 months/60,000 mi. covered maintenance program to all the diesel models sold through June 30, 2014. The changes were announced during Isuzu’s continuing celebration of the 30th anniversary of Isuzu trucks in the U.S. market....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) is adding a propane-autogas chassis to its lineup. The MT-45 chassis is being showcased this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show.
The chassis is the basis for UPS, which announced here that it would be adding 1,000 propane-autogas MTs to its fleet over the next several years....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (MFTA) rolled out its new Canter FE130 Class 3 truck here at the NTEA Work Truck Show.
The OEM said the new model increases the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and boosts body/payload capacity by 700 lbs compared to the FE125 model it replaces....More

INDIANAPOLIS. General Motors has partnered with Telogis, Inc. to offer fleet customers a new telematics solution, it was announced here at the NTEA Work Truck Show.
According to GM, the solution will “provide actionable data to help control costs, increase safety and enhance fleet operations.” ...More

INDIANAPOLIS. Optronics International has unveiled a new 9-in. oval combination LED stop, tail, turn and backup lamp this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show. The STL68 combo lamp mounts to the surface of a vehicle and at only half an inch thick has the low profile of a through-hole-mounted lamp....More

INDIANAPOLIS. UPS announced it will invest some $70 million to deploy propane-autogas (LPG) power in its fleet of distinctive “package car” medium-duty delivery vans at a news conference here at the NTEA Work Truck Show.
The package-delivery giant said its investment plan calls for the purchase of 1,000 propane-fueled trucks as well as installing an initial 50 LPG fueling stations at UPS locations in the U.S....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products is offering its Dura-Bright wheels with XBR technology on its M-Series medium-duty wheels. The announcement was made this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Mack Trucks is making its Body Builder manuals available for free to body builders as downloads from www.MackTrucks.com.
The documents, found under the “Parts and Services” tab of the website, offers general chassis information for Mack trucks, including the Mack Pinnacle, Mack Granite and Mack TerraPro models, built from 2010 through the present. Additional electrical and programming documents have been added for 2013 and beyond, and are separately listed....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Goodyear has introduced two new tires for construction, dump, cement mixers and other mixed-service fleets. Both tires will be available with or without the company’s exclusive DuraSeal technology and will be available this summer....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Navistar said it will incorporate SCR into its high-horsepower mid-range engines this summer as part of its participation in this week’s NTEA Work Truck Show. The company said it will also add its Diamond Logic electric system on all International vocational trucks....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Espar North America has unveiled the new Airtronic NG Commercial air heater. Designed to use within the cab environment, the Airtronic is powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), making it ideal for trucks fuelled by the fuel....More

INDIANAPOLIS. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC revealed that it will make a “segment-exclusive” four-wheel-drive system available in the U.S. next year on its 2015 model-year Sprinter commercial vans, which are sold by authorized Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner dealers. The announcement was made here at the NTEA Work Truck Show....More

A new partnership with telematics firms, a new uptime “command center” facility, and a renewed focus on the Class 8 highway side of the North American market are just some of the new initiatives being kick started at Mack Trucks this year, according to Stephen Roy, newly-installed president for the OEM.
On the job two months, Roy sat down with reporters last week at the Mack Customer Center in Allentown, PA – the OEM’s former research and development facility – to illustrate a range of new endeavors the company plans to tackle in 2014....More

Meritor has introduced a new line of heavy-haul planetary axles for specialty applications, including oil field, logging and mining.
The P600 Series, which includes the P610 and P614, are available in tandem and tridem configurations. They use common components from other Meritor axles, allowing for reduced lead times and quicker customer deliveries....More

Michelin Americas Truck Tires, a division of Michelin North America, Inc. has launched a new steer tire engineered to improve fuel efficiency as well as tread life and durability for trucks running in regional and what the tire maker terms “emerging super-regional” applications....More

Ford has boosted the horsepower and increased torque across its range of F-Series Super Duty pickups for 2015.
Vehicles from the F-250 to F-450 will receive Ford’s second-generation 6.7L Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel with 440 hp., up from 400, and 860 lbs.-ft. of torque, up from 800 lbs.-ft. With the added power, the 2015 F-450 now has maximum towing capacity of 31,200 lbs. and a gross combined weight rating of 40,000 lbs....More

Describing the decision as “an important next step in its turnaround efforts,” Navistar International Corp. has said it will consolidate manufacturing of its MaxxForce mid-range engines at one plant....More

A new on/off-highway drive tire from GT Radial offers mixed service fleets long tread wear and consistent traction, the company said.
The GT Radial GDM635 tire features a full inch (32/32nds) of tread rubber for durability and wear. It is available in the 11R24.5 size and backed by the GT Radial six-year limited warranty....More

Xtra Lease is adding approximately 5,000 new trailers this year, most of which will feature corrosion-fighting galvanized steel components, it said. The company is adding a mix of dry vans, liftgate vans and reefers equipped with new fuel-saving Thermo King Precedent reefer units....More

The new Conti EcoPlus HT3 trailer tire from Continental Tire the Americas will be available this month. This premium tire for the trailing axle has been developed for maximum cost effectiveness, incorporating greater fuel efficiency, long service life and retreadability, Continental said....More

TireStamp has added a “higher level of intelligence” to each of its TireVigil TPMS products through the INTELLAlerting system.
INTELLAlerting provides visibility of tire problems when they are occurring as well as when they are being corrected. It sends tire alerts only to personnel who can actually take action based on a vehicle’s location and operating status....More

Vocational Profile

For Daniel Tapia, it’s all about being prepared. And that can be a challenge, notes the operations & maintenance superintendent for the Dept. of Municipal Development, Street Maintenance Div. in the City of Albuquerque, NM. “Along with routine road work, we are most often concerned about the weather,” he says. “When storms come in, whether they bring snow and ice or just wind, we have to be ready to make sure our fleet is ready to keep the roads clear and safe.”...More

Hardware Report

As they develop new products, fifth wheel manufacturers are looking at design features that will help drivers couple tractors and trailers properly, safely and more easily. Across the board, they cite the ongoing shortage of drivers and the need to help improve safety and reduce injuries, along with workers’ compensation claims, as factors driving their product development activity....More

Information Technology

Many fleets might view an online recruiting tool pitched as “eHarmony for truck drivers” with a great deal of suspicion, if not laughing off the idea right from the start. An Internet-based matchmaking system designed to unearth the “perfect dimensions of compatibility” between driver candidates and carriers? Really? ...More

Fleets using PeopleNet’s Energy Services Suite of products can now take advantage of new mapping and navigation features.
The features are based on detailed maps of private and leased oilfield roads that that facilitate vehicle navigation to and from well sites, coordination of disparate workforces to promote efficiency, location monitoring of equipment to ensure vehicles are on the correct route for least-cost routing, PeopleNet said....More

GammaTech Computer Corp. has added a new rugged notebook computer to its Durabook line. The Durabook R8300 is certified to stringent MIL-STD-810G and IP65 specifications, meaning it can withstand the abusive nature of extremely harsh environments, such as those regularly encountered by the military, public safety, and utility sectors....More

T-Mobile has introduced a new product that it said could potentially save trucking companies that operate in both the U.S. and Canada thousands of dollars a year per truck.
The eSIM enables always-on connectivity for products and services through T-Mobile’s nationwide network and international partners. With this capability, which can be built into an assortment of connected products including connected car and navigation, mobile health and wearables, fleets would pay local data charges for vehicles in either country....More

Grapevine, TX. Sylectus, a business unit of Omnitracs Canada Inc., said its revenues for fiscal 2013 rose 32% year over year – up from the 22% year-over-year mark it posted in fiscal 2012. The company announced its earnings performance March 24 at the Truckload Carriers Assn. annual meeting in Grapevine, TX....More

Pegasus TransTech has added an in-motion restriction to Transflo Mobile 2.2, the latest update to its mobile document scanning solution. The restriction will detect when Transflo Mobile is in motion and prevent usage and the exchange of information.
There is a passenger option to allow usage in team driver scenarios.
Transflo Mobile allows users to capture and send high-quality images of proof of delivery documents, logs, invoices and receipts using a smart phone....More

Small Business Review

In reality, the majority of micro- and small carrier freight is ‘wholesale freight,’ meaning brokered freight. Is this a good way to do business?
While the objective of any carrier, regardless of size, is to haul loads at the highest rate possible, there are multiple variables when determining the highest rate possible. Who has the freight? Direct shipper, 3PL, freight broker or another trucking company?
You would receive a retail hauling rate from the direct shipper; wholesale rates from the other three....More

Last Word

The Elyria headquarters of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has garnered a “Healthy Worksite Gold Level” award from the Ohio Dept. of Health for the company’s ongoing commitment to improving employee health and wellness.
Bendix noted that it began “strengthening wellness efforts” in Elyria in the late ’90s with the rollout of an on-site fitness center, annual corporate-wide health fair, and incentives for employees to be more active....More

During last fall’s semester, Meritor experts worked closely with 16 student teams from two senior-level marketing and logistics classes at Central Michigan University (CMU) to analyze freight costs. Each team submitted reports to Meritor and to Zac Williams, CMU associate professor of logistics and marketing.
“Through this partnership with CMU, students applied their classroom training to gain real-world experience by analyzing how we move freight,” said Doug Wolma, Meritor’s general manager-Global Aftermarket Operation....More

Schneider National Inc. has opted to revamp its circa-1985 logo to “a more contemporary design that accurately reflects the broad geographies it serves” and to communicate “to our associates, our customers and the communities we serve, we are, and have long been known as Schneider,” according to president & CEO Chris Lofgren....More

Thrilled that its Ram 1500 pickup became the first vehicle ever to score back-to-back honors from Motor Trend as that car-buff magazine’s “Truck of the Year,” Ram Truck Brand is ballyhooing the news via this immense “building wrap” on the tower of the Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI....More